Namo Amida Butsu
May 21st marks the birth of our great Nembutsu
Master, Shinran Shonin. In celebration of his birth, we will
observe a special Gotan-e service together with Mother’s
Day on May 10. Please join us for this meaningful and
joyful occasion with our wonderful Nembutsu Sangha.
The service will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by a Mother’s
Day brunch prepared by our dedicated Troop 40
Scout leaders and members. We look forward to
celebrating together with gratitude and appreciation.
Now, let me ask you a question: If someone asked
you, “Would you like to meet Shinran Shonin?” how
would you respond?
Shinran Shonin is the founder of the Jodo Shinshu
tradition, a branch of the Pure Land (Jodo) school,
and he is our great spiritual master among Hongwanji
Nembutsu followers. To meet Shinran Shonin would
be a tremendous honor for all Jodo Shinshu followers,
and I imagine many of us would feel very excited.
With today’s technology, many of us might want
to take pictures or videos with him using our cell
phones. Some of us might even ask for his autograph.
I sometimes wonder whether such actions would
confuse Shinran Shonin, because in his time, no one
asked him to take photographs or sign autographs.
These are experiences he never knew. Perhaps he
would be puzzled by the way we approached him.
However, if we were to ask him about the true heart
of the Nembutsu and the meaning of Amida Buddha’s
Primal Vow, I believe he would spend hours, even
days, guiding us patiently until we came to understand
and awaken to Amida Buddha’s great compassion
and wisdom, just as he himself experienced.
Many of us have learned that Shinran Shonin
studied Tendai Buddhism for twenty years at Mt.
Hiei. However, we may not fully understand why he
left Mt. Hiei at the age of twenty-nine. Interestingly,
Shakyamuni Buddha also left his castle at the age
of twenty-nine. And, as a personal coincidence, I
myself came to Hawaii at the age of twenty-nine.
Shinran left Mt. Hiei because, despite engaging
in many rigorous practices, he could not find the true
assurance of Buddha’s salvation that he had been seeking
throughout his life. Even after practicing various forms
of ascetic discipline, he remained unsatisfied. He had not
yet found the path that truly embraced him just as he was.
After leaving Mt. Hiei, he undertook a hundredday retreat at Rokkakudo Temple in Kyoto, seeking clarity and truth. I imagine that by this time he must
have been physically exhausted and spiritually
distressed. Yet, on the ninety-fifth day of his retreat,
when he was nearly fainting, he experienced a
profound vision. Kannon Bosatsu (Avalokiteshvara,
the Bodhisattva of Compassion) appeared to him in
the form of Prince Shotoku and said:
“I understand your worries very well. To
find the solution you seek, go to the village of
Yoshimizu, a few miles east of here, at the foot
of Mt. Higashiyama. There you will find a monk
named Honen. Go and listen to his teachings.”
Following this guidance, Shinran immediately went
to meet Honen. He was simply seeking the truth of
Buddha’s salvation.
This may be my personal interpretation of Shinran
Shonin’s feelings. However, what he himself later told
his disciple Yuien, as recorded in the Tannisho, was:
“As for me, Shinran, there is nothing left but
to accept and entrust myself to the teaching
of my revered master, believing that we are
saved by Amida simply through the saying of
the Nembutsu.”
How humble and honest these words are. They clearly
show that Shinran Shonin fully entrusted himself to Amida
Buddha’s compassion, without doubt or calculation.
Fortunately for us, we encounter Amida Buddha’s
great wisdom and compassion through the calling
voice of the Nembutsu. Hearing this call, we entrust
ourselves, aspire to be born in the Pure Land, and
share this teaching with others.
Physically, we cannot meet Shinran Shonin
today. Yet when we chant his writing, the Shoshin
Nembutsu-ge, we encounter the heart of his
awakening. Through his words, we meet Shinran
Shonin – his sincerity, his humility, and his deep
gratitude. In this way, perhaps we are already meeting
him, right here at our wonderful temple in Wailuku.
